Apparatus for preparing unretted fiber stalks for decortication and conversion into fiber.



BTTE

APPARATUS POE PBBPA RING UNR CONV APPLICA LAHAN.

D FIBER STLKS FOR DERTITION AND 0N INTO FIBER.

0 FILED EG. 190

l SHE TS S EE 2 C. COLAHAN. y APPARATUS FOR PREPAR-ING UNRBTTHD PBER STALKS FOR DECORTICATIN, AND

CGNVBBSION INTO FIBER. AIIPIIOATION FILED DEG. 3. 1909.

Patented June 6, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/fvz/E/vox MAWW/W C. COLAHAN.

APPARATUS PoR PREPARING UNRETTBD FIBER STALKS PoR DECQRTIGATION AND CONVERSION INTO FIBER.

APPLXGATION MLM DEC, 3, 1909,

Patented June 6, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

lV/TNESSES CHARLES COLAHAN, or

TIN

LEXIANGTON, KENTUCKY.

CONVERSION INTO :FIBER To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l. Cnaluaas COLAHAN. a citizen 0f the United States, and resident of Lexington, county of Fayette. and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iu the Apparatus. for Preparing Unretted Fiber Stalks fer De- Cortieation and Conversion into Fiber, of which the following is a speeitieatiol'i, reference beinghad to the aeeompanying tlra. ings, formingr a part thereof.

This invention relates to the inboeess or method of preparing; unretted liber staiks for decortieation and @inversion into fiber', and has for its object the provision ol' means whereby the entire work embracing;r the sue eessive function..- necesfsarv to complete the desired result, ia simultaneously aeeoiuplished in one 'continuous operation, as hereafter shown and described.

' A further feature of this invention resides in the arrangement of tanks and carrier tem, whereby each lu'taletei-'uiined quantity or bundle of hemp stalks is intermittently conveyed thereto, and more". eontinuonsl)r and controlled separatelj and iiulependently in the process ot treating. and rinsing, for placing in the dryiner field shot-ks.

Further objet-ts oll the invention will heizeinafter appear, suela afthe earrying derive provided with the. raising and loweringaf Iii-cans to plat-e the bundle horizontallyr in the retiing: tank and raise it oblitguelv therefrom to drain. and the moving it forward dures iut-ipient derav that is injurious: to the liber, while many ol' the liber stalks are lod hy heinelr broken and .st-uttered` or tangled, and much of it is injured in the repeated handling and moving'. This` unavoidabl)Y causes' great loss of liber, and the vost of the, labor, being done entirelj.y b v ield hands. often absorbs the value of the erop, and prejudices the produetion of this great staple cro i that grows perfeetly in all parts of the United States. herein described, the liber stalks are always Specification of Letters Iatmt.v

Application led December 3, 19m).

ln provi-.ling the means;E

t pipe with its valve b" admlttmg the steam Patented June (i, 191.

serial No. 531,266.

kept. parallel and straight at all times, threugh my process of retting, shocking, Aand placing in the curing stark, and through deeortiealtion and preparation for spinners fiber.

By the use of my process l ani enabled to produce av uniform fiber of Superior and unvargvizn*` quality at less cost than has hereliber, l obtain a Yreater yield that more than compensates tor the cost. of the work. This operati@1 is continuous, and the stalks are subjected for so brief a time to the moisture, and soon after become dry for breaking. or placing in stacks, id will preserve their bright color and perfect condition for any desired period.

of the emitinuous complete bundle moving elevated earrier track system. for conveying the stalks to andl from the tanks. in the `proeess ot treatiin;V knd rinsing. Fig. lt` .is a

elined position infuring: the drainingr of the surplus moisture therefrom attel treatment.

in onnertion with the lirld .shuelting 'truuk reeeiving the bundle a t'ter treatment for depositiner said bundle in the ield to dry. l"ij shows the deetwtieatingr maehine laval-ting' and eleanng the tiher stalks after drying.

Vln the drawings istheuxain elevated earrier trat-k. Y.\' its eross arrier tracks conneetiugr therewith by the inlet switehes A2, and outlet switches A3.

- l ll are the retting or treatin;y tanks containing the steam 'heated solvent, `of which there are several is the steam heating pipe at the bottom ol' the tanks, b the connecting raise the bundle out ol' the tank to an in.

use, thus insuring a greater percent. of line B0 tofore been done, and as it preserves all the letting liquid as not. to be saturated with i lu the drawings, Figure 1 isa plan View 75 plan view otl the same showing the carrier go Fig. is an Fig. 2l. is an elevation 90 Fie. is an elevation ot' the moving Carrier 95 from the boiler pipe bm; B the rinsing and cooling tank.

.rari-ier shaft.

C is the bundle of stalks ready to be attacbed to the carrier by means of cables. C represents the same attached thereto, in the manner shown in Fi 3, in which a car- :ier bar C2provided wlth bundle securing bands C3 is used for holding and releasing the bundle'but it may be attached to the bundle in any well known manner and the chain pulley secured to the revolving sha D. D3 is its actuating chain operated by hand in a well known manner.

F is the shocking truck and F its pivoted bundle carrier.

J is the decorticator receiving-the unbroken bundle of stalks which pass out as clean'tiber, and J2 the pneumatic' broken stalk, or hurd, discharging drum operating in connection therewith.

The bundles are attached to the carrier by means of cbles operated by the revolving i'indlass shaft D that is supported in downhan ing swivel arms. moving on an endless trac by gravity, the track being provided with inlet and outlet switches to and from the treating tanks, or, the track for each taukrnay be separate and single and continuous thus dispensing with the switches. The bundle is lowered to a horizontal position into the solvent, contained in the open retting tank B while suspended from the cariier, and when treated, is raised therefrom by the revolving shaft D, which is provided with means to cause a more rapid and further upward movement of the bundle at one end than the other end, to ilace the same in position to permit the draining of the surplus moisture back into the tank. The bundle is then forwarded without being detached from its carrier to the rinsing tank B', into which it is lowered, and raised out, quickly, and discharged from its carrier upon the shockingr truck, as shown in Fig. 4, on which' it is conveyed to the field to dry, Without further handling. 'When dry it may be subjected to decm'tication or placed in stacks.

In operation, the bundles of hemp stalks re secured by means of cables to the re volving raising and lowering shafts of successive carriers mounted on elevated tracks, and moved forward and lowered into each tank, as may be desired, and subjected to twenty minutes treatment, which thorouglily dcgums and softens the epidermis and fiber, permanently dissolving the mucinous matter. The bundle is then raised therefrom to an angular position by the revolving shaft of its carrier, and moved slightly forward to permit the draining back of the surplus moisture and dissolved gums that are received by the inclined end of the tank. A succeedirig bundle is ready at hand and lowered therein. The treated bundle remains but an instant in angular draining position, when it is rapidly moved forward and immerstd into the rinsing:r and cooling tank, one of which tanks is sutlicient, the bundle being quickly raised therefrom t0 draining position, and discharged from its carrie." onto the shocking truck shown.

The arrangement ot the treating tanks in series as shown, is important, as itenabes one operator to maintain the series in constunt operation as a whole, without regard to the required time of treatment of anyone of the bundles in its tank, which varies with different. conditions of the bundles of hemp stalks, some bundles requiringr longer treatment than others. When shocked these stalks soon bccomedry, ready for decorticating or stacking, and the fiber produced therefrom is soft, bright in color, clean, and free from extrinsic matter.

By :ny 'improved process and apparatus, the entire manual labor involved in operatii-.xg the system of the separate successive tanks, requires only two operators, who can treat as much hemp per day as ten men handle inthe old Way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. A system for treating fibrous stalks which consists of a series of treating tanks placed adjacent each other, a, plurality of vided with means for raising and lowering the bundles into said tanks.

2. A system of treating fibrous stalks which consists in a series of treating tanks placed adjacent eachother, a pluralityT of carrier tracks passing respectively over said treating tanks, a rinsing tank, said carrier tracks passing over said rinsing tank, bundle carriers movable on said tracks and provided with means for raising and lovi'eringr the `bundles into said tanks.

3. ln an apparatus for rapidly treating bundles of unretted fibrous stalks, a series of independent open treating tanks, means to heat the contents of said tanks, combined with a series of elevated tracks positioned respectively over said tanks, and a plurality of bundle carriers movable on' said tracks having revolving raising and lowering shafts and bundlcssupporting cables for controll l r l l l ling;r and moving the bundles forward in the operations of treating, draining, rinsing anddischarging, substantially as shown and described. Y

4. In an apparatus forrapidly treating,l oundies of fibrous stalks, a series of independent open treating tanks, means to beat contents ofl said tanks, ACombined with a series of eievated tracks positioned respectively over said tanks, and a plurality of bundle carriers movable on said tracks and having,r revoluble raising and lowering shafts provided with bundle securing cables and means for raising one end of thebundle higher-than the other end to platre the saine angularly in draining position substantially as shown. Y

5. In an apparatus for rapidlytreating bundles of fibrous stalks a. series of independent open retting tanks in simultaneous operation combined with a series of elevated tracks positioned respectively over Said tanks and a. plurality of bundle carriers mounted thereon and movable in a forward direction, said carriers having means for lowering the bundle horizontally into the .ing` shafts provided with cable attachments that ret-ain the bundle continuously in the operation of treating, rinsing and discharging the same to the field trnok substantially as shown and described.

CHAS. COLAHAN. lVitnesses M. H. COLAHAN, llt/ALLER B. HUNT.

' tank and raising it therefrom to an anggulat` I 

